Plural source lather dispenser with single discharge assistant



y 7, 1968 H. H. SNIDER ET AL 3,381,858

PLURAL SOURCE LATHER DISPENSER WITH SINGLE DISCHARGE ASSISTANT Filed May 1, 1967 SQ WM y m m w WW m 1 Q f 4 A nd m Me a NM. Y B

PLURAL SQURCE LiATHER i'blSlEblSER WiTl-i SINGLE DECHARGE ASSESTANT Harold H. Snider and John H. Snider, @sceola, Mic assignnrs to Lather-Rite, lino, Osceola, Mm, a corporation of Missouri Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No, 635,960

10 Claims. (Cl. 222-136) ABSTRACT F THE DESUMEURE This application discloses a lather producing machine consisting of a mixing chamber which is normally sealed and into which a liquid soap and a liquified gas are introduced and wherein they are intermingled, the liquified gas maintaining in said chamber a pressure suflicient to maintain the mixture in liquid form. When the mixture is allowed to escape from said chamber through a suitable spout, the immediate transfer of said liquid gas to a vapor state instantly produces bubbles converting the soap to lather form. The liquid soap and liquid gas are replenished when required from suitable reservoirs by a pumping device. The pumping device is of a construction insuring delivery of the soap and liquid gas to the mixing chamber reliably in predetermined proportions, but includes means for adjusting these proportions to vary the richness of the lather as desired.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in lather producing machines, and has particular reference to machines suitable for use in barber shops and in the home and operable to discharge large quantities of hot shaving lather from a spout whenever said spout is opened. However, while conceived and described as a means for producing shaving lather, it will be readily apparent that the device is adapted to produce foams or lathers for other purposes.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a lather producing machine having a mixing chamber into which a liquid soap or other lathering agent and a liquified gas are introduced and intermixed, the tendency of the liquid gas to pass into a vapor state maintaining an above-atmospheric pressure in said chamber form, creating a myriad of bubbles in the soap and thereby instantly converting it into a rich lather. A heater is provided so that lather at the desired temperature is delivered.

Another object is the provision of a machine of the character described having suitable reservoirs for the liquid soap and liquid gas, pumping means for delivering said liquid soap and gas to said mixing chamber in a predetermined proportion, and means for automatically activating said pumping means whenever the soap-gas mixture in said mixing chamber becomes depleted.

A still further object is the provision of a machine of the character described having means whereby the proportions of the soap and gas may be varied at will, whereby to provide for the delivery of lather of any desired degree of richness.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, efiiciency and dependability of operation, and adaptability for use in a wide variety of applications.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, wherein States Part the single view constitutes a diagrammatic or schematic layout of a lather producing machine embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the machine includes a housing 2 in the upper portion of Which is formed a reservoir 4 for liquid soap 6 or other lathering agent, said reservoir being provided with a filling neck 3 normally closed by a cap 10. Said cap is vented as at 11 whereby to prevent the formation of a vacuum in the reservoir above the soap as the soap level is lowered. Housing 2 is also provided with an upwardly opening socket 12 into which a bottle, can or other container 14 of liquified gas 16 can be inserted in an inverted position. The housing provides an internally threaded boss 18 at the bottom of a socket 12, into which the threaded neck 20 of container 14 can be screwed as shown, said neck seating against a gasket 22 to provide a pressure tight seal. Container 14 may be provided with an easily pierced sealing disc 24 which is pierced by a tubular needle 26 fixed in the base of boss 18 and projecting upwardly therefrom, as the container is screwed into said boss. The liquid gas should of course be non-toxic, and is of a type which is maintained in liquid form by pressure created above the liquid level thereof by transfer of a portion thereof into vapor form. When this pressure reaches a certain level, designated the equilibrium pressure, it will maintain the rest of the material in liquid form. Each time the liquid level is dropped by removal of a portion of said liquid from the container, the pressure thereabove is of course reduced allowing more of the gas to vaporize until the equilibrium pressure is again restored. Preferably, a liquid gas having only a slight positive equilibrium pressure at ordinary room temperature is utilized. If the temperature rises, the equilibrium pressure also rises, and the gas is preferably such that when raised to a temperature suitable for hot shaving lather, said -120 F., the pressure will be suitable for expelling liquid through a spout, say 10-30 p.s.i.. A liquid refrigerant gas commonly known as Freon is easily available in grades entirely suitable for this purpose.

Disposed in housing 2 beneath soap reservoir 4 is a mixing chamber 28. Said chamber may have a sheath of he-at insulating material thereabout. A conduit 32 extends between and interconnects the lower portion of soap reservoir 4 and the lower portion of the mixing chamber, and a pair of check valves 34 and 36 are disposed in series in said conduit, both adapted to permit flow of soap toward said mixing chamber, but not in the opposite direction. A conduit 38 extends between and interconnect-s needle 26 and the lower portion of the mixing chamber and a pair of check valves 40 and 42 are disposed in series in said conduit, both adapted to permit flow of liquid gas toward said mixing chamber, but not in the opposite direction. Conduits 32 and 38 open into the mixing chamher in close juxtaposition, and angularly to each other. Furthermore, they do not open into the main porti n of the chamber, but into a small pie-mixing compartment 44 divided from the main portion of the cham er by a partition wall 46. When the pre-mixing compartment is filled, the liquid spills over the too of the partition wall into the main portion of the mixing chamber. The normal maximum liquid level in the chamber is indicated at 48, and the minimum level at 50'. An open-ended tube 52 projects beneath level 50 in the chamber, and its opposite end projects outwardly from the housing, terminating in a spout 54 controlled by a valve 5-6 which may be opened manually by means of pushbutton 58 but is normally held closed by spring 60. The mixing chamber is also vented to the atmosphere by a conduit 62 in which is disposed at pressure relief valve 64 set to open at the miximum safe operating pressure of the chamber. An electric heater 66 is disposed in the lower portion of the mixing chamber to heat the contents thereof. This heater may be designed, or thermostatically controlled, to maintain the temperature of the liquid at a level to produce hot lather as desired.

The liquid level in the mixing chamber is controlled by a float switch mechanism including a buoyant float 68 resting on the liquid and having a stem 70 projecting upwardly, therefrom, and vertically slidable in a fixed guide 72. A pair of lugs 74 and 76 are fixed on said stem in spaced apart relation, and are adapted to move a switch arm 78 with respect to a fixed contact 80. When the liquid in the chamber .rises to level 48, lug 76 engages said arm and opens the switch, and when the liquid drops to level 50, lug 74 engages said arm and closes the switch. It is to be understood that said switch is preferably of the snapbperation type, so that once opened by log 76, it remains open till closed by lug 74, and that once closed by lug 74, it remains closed till opened by lug 76. Said switch controls a pair of pumps to be described below.

A soap cylinder 82, fixed in the housing as schematically indicated by bracket 84, is interconnected with conduit 32 intermediate check valves 34 and 36, by means of conduit 86, and has a piston 88 operatively mounted therein. Similarly a liquid gas cylinder 90 mounted fixedly by bracket 92 is interconnected with conduit 38 intermediate check valves 40 and 4 2, by means of conduit 94, and has a piston 96 operably mounted therein. Cylinders 82 and 90 are coaxially aligned in spaced apart relation, and pistons 88 and 96 are interconnected by a spindle 98. Mounted fixedly on said spindle is a solenoid armature 100 which is axially movable in a solenoid coil 102 which is fixedly mounted in the housing by bracket 104, said armature being prevented from rotating in said coil by the engagement of a key 106 fixed in said coil with a keyway 108 of the armature. Spindle 98 is moved to the left as viewed in the drawing whenever coil 102 is energized, thus advancing piston 88 in cylinder 82 and retracting piston 96 in cylinder 90. When coil 102 is deenergized, the spindle is returned to the right by a compression spring 110 interposed between cylinder 82 and a. collar disc 102 fixed on the spindle, thus retracting piston 88 in cylinder 82 and advancing piston 95 in cylinder 90.

Spindle 98 has a lost-motin connection with one of the pistons, piston 88 as shown. Said piston is hollow, and the spindle has an enlarged head 114 which is axially slidable therein, being secured for limited movement therein by a retainer ring 116 threaded into said piston behind said head. The piston is urged toward its maximum extension, with retainer ring 116 abutting head 1 14, by a weak compression spring 118 interposed between head 1'14, and the closed end of the piston. Threaded on spindle 98 just behind piston 88 is a tubular sleeve 120 having a peripheral flange 122 adopted by turning of said sleeve either to abut said piston, or to be disposed at a variable spacing therefrom. If it abuts the piston, then leftward movement of the spindle by the solenoid will cause an equal advancing movement of piston 88. If the flange 122 is normally spaced from the piston, as illustrated in the drawing, then leftward movement of the spindle will first advance head 114 into the piston to compress spring 1 18 until the flange abuts the piston, and the piston will hence be moved a lesser distance than the spindle. This is true so long as the pressure exerted by spring 118 is less than the fluid pressure in cylinder 82, and for this reason spring 118 is made correspondingly weak. Flange 122 may be adjusted by means of a handle 124 affixed to sleeve 120 and projecting radially therefrom, said handle having a portion thereof disposed parallel to the spindle and projecting through a slot .126 formed therefor in spring retainer disc 112, it being understood that said slot is arcuate and concentric with the spindle. Said handle should of course be readily accessible to the operator, and for this reason may if desired be extended to project externally of the housing. Also, while the pumping device actually shown comprises cylinders and pistons, other types of variable-volume pressure chambers could be used in their place, such as bellows or diaphragm chambers.

Spindle 98 also carries a pair of switch operating lugs 128 and 130 in longitudinally spaced apart relation thereon and operable to move a switch arm 132 relative to a fixed contact 134. When the spindle is moved to the left by the solenoid, lug 130 engages arm 132 to open the switch, and when the spindle is moved to the right by spring to close the switch. Like switch 78, this switch is also of the snap-operating type, so that when either opened or closed by the appropriate lug, it remains in that condition until moved by the other lug.

Electric power is supplied to the machine by line wires 136 and 138. From these wires there is provided an oper ating circuit including, in series, wire 140, contact 80, switch arm 78, wire 142, solenoid coil 102, wire 144, switch arm 13 2, contact 134, and wire 146 to wire 138. Electric heater 66 is connected in parallel across wires 140 and 146 by wires 148 and 150.

To ready the machine for operation, liquid soap 6 is poured into reservoir 4, liquid gas container 14 is inserted into socket 12 and screwed into boss 18 so that sealing disc 24 is pierced by needle 26 and wires 140 and 146 are connected to line Wires 136 and 138, as by plugging them into a wall outlet. At this time, there is of course no pressure in mixing chamber 28, and liquid soap and liquid gas could flow freely into said mixing chamber in uncontrolled proportions through conduits 32 and 38 respectively, were provision not made to prevent it. For this reason, it will be understood that check valves 34 and 40 are spring-loaded to closed positions, thus in effect constituting relief valves, with sufiicient force to prevent opening of valve 34 by the gravity head of liquid soap above it, and to prevent opening of valve 40 by the equilibrium pressure of the gas in container 14. These pressures may of course be very slight. There being no liquid in the mixing chamber at this time, switch 78 is closed on contact 80, thereby completing the operating electric circuit of solenoid coil 102, so long as switch 132 is closed, and the latter switch is of course closed at this time by lug 128 of spindle 98, said spindle being held at the right limit of its movement by spring 110.

Coil 102, thus energized, pulls spindle 98 to the left against the pressure of spring 110 through a full stroke, until spindle lug opens switch 132 to de-energize the coil, whereupon the spindle is returned to the right by spring 110. Thus the spindle is continuously reciprocated as long as switch 78 remains closed, and this pumps soap and liquid gas alternately into the mixing chamber, wherein they are intermixed and the temperature thereof elevated by heater 66. Part of the gas is again vaporized in the upper portion of the mixing chamber until an equilibrium pressure is established therein to keep the soap and the remainder of the gas in liquid form. This equilibrium pressure will be substantially higher in the mixing chamber than in gas container 14, due to the elevated temperature.

Considering the pumping action in greater detail, it will be seen that the soap pump includes piston 88 and check valves 34 and 36. As piston 88 is retracted to the right, valve 36 is closed and valve 34 is opened by vacuum which tends to form in cylinder 82 so that liquid soap flows into said cylinder. As the piston is advanced to the left, the resulting rise of pressure closes valve 34 and opens valve 36, so that the soap is delivered to the mixing chamber. The thrust delivered by the solenoid must of course be suflicient not only to overcome spring 110, but also to deliver the soap against the maximum pressure which can be present in the mixing chamber. The liquid gas pump includes piston 96 and check valves 40 and 42. As piston 96 is retracted to the left, the vacuum tending to form in cylinder 90 closes valve 42 and opens valve 40, so that liquid gas is drawn into said cylinder. As piston 96 is advanced to the right by spring 110, the pressure rise in cylinder 90 closes valve 40 and opens valve 42, whereby liquid gas is delivered to the mixing chamber. Spring 110 must of course be of sufficient strength to deliver liquid gas against any pressure which may be present in the mixing chamber. Thus the two pumping devices, while functioning independently of each other so far as the flow of liquid is concerned, are nevertheless mechanically interconnected by the intermediacy of spindle 98, so that an equal number of strokes of each pump is guaranteed. This is extremely important in insuring that the soap and liquid will be delivered to the mixing chamber in uniform proportion, and the uniform proportion is in turn essential for the production of lather of a uniform quality.

Basically this proportioning is determined by the ratio between the areas of pistons 88 and 96, since the stroke lengths of the two pistons are or can be made equal. It is contemplated that a ratio of perhaps five parts of soap to one part of liquid gas will be used, although the ratio will depend on the particular soap and particular liquid gas used, as well as the richness of the lather which may be preferred. However, the precise proportion of soap to liquid gas, whereby to provide lather of variable richness to provide the richness which may be desired by individual users, can be adjusted in the present structure by means of the previously described lost-motion connection between piston 88 and spindle 98. By reason of this lost motion, the effective stroke of piston 88 can be varied at will, by turning handle 124 and sleeve 120 to vary the spacing between piston 88 and flange 122, without changing the stroke of piston 96.

As the liquid soap and gas enter the mixing chambers, they enter the small pre-mixing chamber 44 in directions angular to each other. This creates a considerable degree of turbulence, promoting thorough intermixture of the liquids before they spill over partition wall 46 into the main portion of the mixing chamber. This intermixture is important to eflicient operation, although the soap and gas are thoroughly miscible and easily intermixed. There may be some foaming or lathering at the point gas conduit 38 enters chamber 44, due to reduction of pressure at check valve 42. However, this lathering or foaming will be slight since the pressure drop is very small, and in any event will subside as equilibrium pressure is established in the mixing chamber. Eventually, the liquid will rise to level .8, raising float 68 and causing lug 76 to open switch 78 to de-energize solenoid coil 102 independently of intermittent switch 132, so that the system comes to rest. In this connection, it may be noted that one advantage of using a spring return on the solenoid, rather than a double-acting solenoid, is that if switch 78 should open during or at the end of a soap-delivery stroke of piston 88, spring 110 Will cause piston 96 to move through an exactly corresponding portion of a gas-delivery stroke, so as to preserve accurately the soap-gas proportion even on partial strokes. Actually, in most cases this proportion would not be seriously disturbed even if spindle 98 and the pistons could come to rest at any position in their travel. The drawing is not proportional, and it will be understood that for reasons of economy the capacity of cylinders 82 and 90 would ordinarily be very small compared to the volume of the mixing chamber between levels 48 and 50, so that for each closure of switch 78 by the lowering of liquid therein to level 50, multiple reciprocations of spindle 98 would be required to raise the liquid to level 48. Under these circumstances stoppage of the pumping action in mid-stroke would have little effect on the soap-gas proportion.

After the liquid in mixing chamber 28 has been raised to level 48, and equilibrium gas pressure thereabove corresponding to the temperature of the liquid provided by heater 66 has been established, any opening of valve 56 will permit the gas pressure above the liquid in the mixing chamber to force said liquid through conduit 52, through valve 56, and to discharge it to the atmosphere through spout 54. As the liquid passes through valve 56, its pressure is of course immediately reduced to atmospheric, and this pressure drop causes the liquid gas dissolved in the soap to pass almost instantaneously int-o vapor form, converting the soap into lat-her, so that copious amounts of hot lather are discharged from spout 54.

On each opening of valve 56 and resultant discharge of lather, the liquid level in the mixing chamber will of course drop slightly. This causes the gas pressure above the liquid to drop slightly, but the drop is only momentary, as more of the liquid gas will then vaporize to again raise the gas pressure above the liquid to equilibrium pressure, so that additional amounts of lather can be ejected. If the mixing chamber is of sufficient volume compared to the flow rate of valve 56, then lather can be ejected substantially continuously, if such were desired. There may be a slight foaming or lathering at the liquid level in the mixing chamber each time valve 56 is opened, due to the momentary pressure drop in the chamber and correspondent vaporization of an additional portion of the liquid gas. However, this foaming will subside when equilibrium pressure is again established and will at most be slight if the chamber volume is large compared to the fiow capacity of valve 56. This is of course another reason for maintaining the chamber capacity high as compared to the fiow capacity of valve 56. Still another reason is that it provides ample time for the liquid to be elevated to the desired temperature by heater 66.

As the liquid level in the mixing chamber drops, more and more of the liquid gas therein must vaporize to maintain the equilibrium pressure, and the concentnation of gas in the discharged liquid drops correspondingly. There fore, if the mixing chamber were allowed to be substantially emptied before it was replenished, there might be insufficient gas to maintain the equilibrium pressure even when all of it was vaporized, so that pure soap, not lather, would be ejected through spout 54. Even under less extreme circumstances, the soap content of the ejected lather could become objectionably high. For this reason, it is desired that the diiference between the control liquid levels 48 and 56 represent a comparatively small percentage of the total volume of the chamber say l015%. In this manner, the soap-gas proportion can be kept reasonably constant.

When the liquid in the mixing chamber is eventually lowered to level 50, the corresponding lowering of float 68 causes lug 74 of stem 70 to engage and close switch 78, thereby completing the operating electric circuit of solenoid coil 102 and initiating the pumping action as previously described, until the liquid in the mixing chamber is again raised to level 48. Some means responsive to the liquid level in chamber 28 has been found necessary to control the pump, rather than any pressure-responsive means, since the mixing chamber pressure tends to remain constant at the equilibrium pressure, and is not changed except momentarily by the degree to which it may be filled.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention, it will be readily apparent that many minor changes of structure and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for producing lather comprising:

(a) a housing,

(b) 'a reservoir for liquid soap carried by said housing,

(0) a container for liquid gas carried by said housing,

said liquid gas being miscible with said soap and capable of being retained in liquid form by aboveatmospheric pressure,

(d) a mixing chamber,

(e) a pump operable to deliver soap from said reservoir to said mixing chamber,

(f) a pump operable to deliver liquid gas from said container to said mixing chamber,

(g) pump operating means operable to drive said pumps to deliver soap and liquid gas to said mixing chamber in generally uniform proportions,

('h) a conduit interconnected to said mixing chamber below the liquid level therein and termination in a spout open to the atmosphere, and

(i) a valve positioned in said conduit and operable to control the flow of fluid therethrough.

2. The structure as recited in claim 1 with the addition of heater means operable to heat the liquid soap-gas mixture in said mixing chamber to .a pre-determined level.

3. The structure as recited in claim 1 with the addition of control means operable responsively to the liquid level in said mixing chamber to activate said pump operating means whenever said liquid level drops to a pre-determined point, and to deactivate said pump operating means whenever said liquid level rises to a pre-determined higher point.

4. The structure as recited in claim 1 with the addition of means operable to vary the relative delivery rates of said two pumps.

5. The structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said pump operating means comprises a mechanical member interconnecting said pumps and operable by reciprocation thereof to drive said pumps, the liquid-delivery operational phases of said pumps occurring on movement of said mechanical member in respectively opposite directions, and reciprocating means operable when activated, to reciprocate said mechanical member.

6. The structure as recited in claim 5 wherein said reciprocating means includes electrically activated means operable when energized to move said mechanical member in one direction, means responsive to movement of said member in said one direction to de-energize said electrically activated means, and spring means biasing said mechanical member in the opposite direction.

7. The structure as recited in claim 6 with the addition of means responsive to the liquid level in said mixing chamber to activate said reciprocating means when said level drops to a pre-determined point, and to deactivate said reciprocating means Whenever said level rises to a pre-determined higher point.

8. The structure as recited in claim 5 wherein said me chanical member has a lost-motion connection with one of said pumps whereby to reduce the delivery rate of said pump, and with the addition of means operable to adjust the degree of said lost motion whereby to vary the delivery rate of the associated pump Without affecting the delivery rate of the other pump.

9. The structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said liquid soap pump comprises a soap conduit interconnecting said soap reservoir and said mixing chamber, a pair of check valves disposed in series in said soap conduit and each operable to permit flow only toward said mixing chamber, and a pressure chamber interconnected into said soap conduit intermediate said check valves, said pressure chamber having a portion thereof which is movable to change the volume of said chamber; wherein said liquid gas pump comprises a gas conduit interconnecting said gas container and said mixing chamber, a pair of check valves disposed in series in said gas conduit and each, operable to permit flow only toward said mixing chamber, and a pressure chamber interconnected into said gas conduit intermediate the check valves thereof, said last named pressure chamber having a portion thereof which is movable to change the volume of said chamber; and wherein said pump operating means comprises a spindle extending between and interconnecting the movable portions of said pressure chambers and operable by movement in either direction to enlarge the volume of one of said chambers and to decrease the volume of the other chamber, a solenoid operable when energized to move said spindle in one direction, a spring biasing said spindle in the opposite direction, and an operating electric circuit for said solenoid including in series said solenoid, a source of electric power, and a pair of electric switches, the first of said switches being operable by movement of said spindle to open when said spindle is moved in said one direction by said solenoid and to close when said spindle is moved in said opposite direction by said spring, and the second of said switches being responsive to the liquid level in said mixing chamber to close whenever said level falls to a pre-determined point, and to open when said level rises to a predetermined higher point.

10. The structure as recited in claim 9 wherein each of said pressure chambers includes a fixed fluid cylinder and the movable portion thereof constitutes a piston slidably operable in said cylinder, wherein said cylinders are disposed in opposed coaxial relation and said spindle interconnects said pistons, said spindle having a lost-motion connection with one of said pistons, and with the addition of means operable to adjust the extent of the lost motion in said connection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,333,045 10/1943 Rotter et al. 222 2,675,946 4/ 1954 Strempel 222137 2,698,703 1/ 1955 Harvey. 2,946,488 7/1960 Kraft 222-l37 X 3,160,317 12/1964 Hambro 222-135 X 3,236,419 2/1966 DeRemer et a1 222-135 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,206,388 8/1959 France.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

